The invention relates generally to the field of portable electronic devices and handheld computers. More particularly, the invention relates to portable electronic devices and handheld computers including lighting systems. Further, the invention relates to portable electronic devices and handheld computers including lighting systems used to light displays and/or input devices.
Conventionally, portable electronic devices include visible displays, such as liquid crystal displays (LCDs) and other similar displays. Such displays may be incorporated into any of a variety of portable electronic devices, such as mobile telephones, handheld computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), laptop computers, and the like. Because of the small form factor required for such portable electronic devices, many conventional portable electronic devices also include some integrated types of input devices, for example, touch screens, buttons, thumb wheels (joy dials), integrated keyboards, and the like. To make the displays easier to read and the input devices easier to locate and use, especially in poor lighting conditions, many devices incorporate lighting systems to light the displays and the input devices.
Because there is a desire for very thin, lightweight, and power conserving lighting systems, and further because there is a desire to have displays and input devices on the portable electronic device that are easy to see in poor lighting conditions, conventional lighting systems may not be satisfactory.
Accordingly, there is a need for a lighting system that can provide light to displays and input devices and may be integrated into the housing of a portable electronic device. Further, there is a need for a lighting system that uses less power than conventional lighting systems to extend battery life. Further still, there is a need for a lighting system that uses a single light source. Yet further still, there is a need for a lighting system that can light a display and one or more input devices from a single light source.
It would be desirable to provide a system and/or method that provides one or more of these or other advantageous features. Other features and advantages will be made apparent from the present specification. The teachings disclosed extend to those embodiments which fall within the scope of the appended claims, regardless of whether they accomplish one or more of the aforementioned needs.